Friday, May 29, 2009

Happy Anniversary !


Hugs to you , friends on this Friday morning ! My card for you this morning uses papers from the new Basic Grey Wisteria pack. I wanted to make an anniversary card that could be sent to either a 25th or 50th anniversary couple since we have had a few of those recently. This is an easy peasy card. The ribbon, I think, is from Hobby Lobby and the little silver embellies are from a piece of package trim that I cut apart and glued onto the ribbon. The sentiment is from Stampington and was stamped with Ancient Page Flannel Grey , sponged with Encore Gold and cut out with a Nestie... layered with mini pop dots. And really, that's it ! Thanks again for stopping by. Hope you all have the BEST kind of weekend !

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Sweet Peas


Good morning, All!
My card for you today uses the gorgeous Sweet Peas main image from that set by Flourishes. This is the first time I have inked it up and I am pleased with the result. Pretty in Pink and whisper white papers were used for layering and for the Martha Stewart punched border. The image was stamped on Neenah white with Memento Tuxedo Black and colored with Copics ( R81,R83,R85, YG05, YG17). I stamped the image again and cut out three of the flowers to layer for dimension. The flowers were brushed with a light touch of Pink Poinsetta Shimmerz. You might be able to see the shimmer if you click on the image. The sentiment is from this set and was stamped on the lower right . I added some gorgeous ribbon from Hobby Lobby and some sticky pearls and there you have it ! What do you think ? Have a super sweet day, everyone and thanks again for stopping by ! { hugs !}

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

He Has Made Everything Beautiful ..


Wow , what a day ! What meant to be a couple of quick but important errands this morning led to some huge time consuming to-do's. That ever happen to you ? Well, it's done and I am back on track for the day , I hope. Thought I would post this card before working on my flower beds . Due to my amateur photo skills , I thought I would try an enlarged post to see if the details show up better. Let me know if that helps a bit . This Scripture is from Our Daily Bread . (You know , that verse says to me that not only do our trials and struggles ; our lives ultimately work out beautifully in the end ( here or There ) but that our Creator is THE ULTIMATE ARTIST and has put this love of color and creativity in our hearts . Wouldn't you say He's the ultimate stamper ?! ) OK , back to the card (!) ... the red stripe dp is by Chatterbox. The other papers are by SU! The black panels were run through a Swiss Dots CB folder . The verse was cut out with a Nestie and then sponged with Summer Sun. The butterflies are Martha Stewart and were stamped on Neenah white and colored with Copics and cut out. Dew drops were added to the verse panel. Everything was layered up and that does it , I think ! Hope your day is enjoyable. {hugs !}

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

MoJo Monday 88 Birthday Wishes

Happy Tuesday morning Friends : Hope you had a good Memorial Day weekend . My card for you today uses the Mojo Monday 88 sketch . I've used these pretty papers by K&C , the crocheted ribbon is by May Arts and the sentiment is by Stamp Oasis . The sentiment was stamped with Memento Rich Cocoa and then cut out with circle and pinking circle Nesties. The sticky pearls added to each corner of the aqua panels are by Hero Arts and the prima as well. Everything was layered as you see in the photo. Easy ! The best kind, wouldn't you say ! Have a good and productive day and thanks so much for taking a moment to come by and visit . You blogging buddies are the best ! { hugs !}

Monday, May 25, 2009

Artful Sentiments 9 /You Inspire Me

Today I have my Artful Sentiments 9 challenge to post. If you have never played this Copic challenge, head on over to see what that's all about and play with us. This is the first time I have inked up this set from Clear Art Stamps. I have to tell you ; I really like this set but had a hard time figuring how to use it. I pulled out Stampin Up cs... Caribbean, Real Red and Brilliant Blue ... which all matched with the challenge colors you can see above. The tan and sky panels are Basic Grey . I stamped the main image with Memento Tuxedo Black and colored in plus adding a couple tans and grays for the skin and sand. The girls hat was stamped three times , one full layered atop the other and then the third , just the center of the hat was cut out and layered atop the second. I used red floss to make a ribbon for the hat and secured with a mini pop dot. I added some Quickie Glue thickly to the sandy area and then added real sand . The sky was colored in and blended with a lighter shade of blue. The shell, crab and sand dollar was also stamped with Black and cut out and secured with pop dots. The image was cut out and embossed with a circle Nestie and the background panels were cut out with a Labels Two die. A sea gull was stamped on the sky panel behind the image. Everything was layered up and secured and twine was added to the two pieces. Diamond Dots were added to the left corner . The sentiment is from Flourishes Sweet Violets set . What do you think ? We have an easy day planned today . Hopefully I will be spending lots of time in the stamping room . Hugs to you all !

Saturday, May 23, 2009

Is Your Name Here ? ... Tag , You're It !

Hi Friends ... hope you're having a fabulous Memorial Day weekend . Don't forget to thank God for our troops and pray for them. They are AMAZING people. If you will scroll down a couple days you will see that I have been tagged. There are a list of fun questions to answer . It's a great way to get to know your blogging buddies a little better . Some of you I don't know very well so I am tagging YOU . Copy and paste the questions on your blog and answer them for some fun reading for the rest of us ! Ready ... set ... YOU'RE IT !



Jacque

NinaB

Janet

Cheryl

Thursday, May 21, 2009

A Soft and Simple Thanks

Morning , All ! Just a quick post for you this morning before I take off formy day spent with stamping buddies. This is a really quick and easy card to make. I love the colors and patterns in these papers and they really need very little embellishing to stand out. Looking at this photo, the colors really look better IRL. Sorry about that. It should look more taupe and robins egg blue-ish. Sadly , I do not have the paper company name. The leaf stamp is by Basic Grey and was stamped with Memento Rich Cocoa. The leaves were colored in with Derwent watercolor pencils to match the papers. The sentiment is by A Muse and was stamped with Rich Cocoa . Everything was layered up and secured with mini pop dots.
I like it simple and with the focus on the papers and colors . What do you think ? Have a delightful Thursday. If I don't gab too much today with the girls, I should have a post for you tomorrow ! { hugs !}

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

I've Been Tagged !

Oh my... I've been tagged by sweet friend Christina over at Christina's Creations . If you haven't visited Christina, you scoot on over to visit her beautiful blog and gorgeous work , will ya ? How fun to read what she wrote after being tagged. I'm going to try and answer these same questions so bear with me. I hope you don't get too bored !

8 things I look forward to :
1. More stunningly gorgeous Spring/ Summer weather like today !
2. Our trip to Bali and Australia
3. A completed kitchen remodel !
4. Always more time with good friends and family
5. More time to get in shape this summer
6. Always time in the stamping room
7. Seeing what the boys do with their lives
8. Hopefully our snowbird years in Venice FL

8 things I did yesterday:
1. Get up , lift weights and walk
2. Touch base with the builder
3. Laundry, organizing and grilling dinner , yet again !
4. Bible study on Beth Moore's " Esther"
5. Spent too much time on the computer !
6. Shopping for remodeling needs
7. Read
8. SLEEP!

8 things I wish I could do :
1. Shop for the gorgeous things I want for the home without regard to price !
2. Shop for the stamps and supplies I would like without regard to price !
3. Know exactly what people need and how to meet their needs perfectly
4. Set up a fabulous stamping AND spa retreat for all my stamping buddies and pay for it myself ! ( seriously !)
5. Get in shape, stay in shape and stop beating myself up when I fail
6. Sing !
7. Turn my stamping room into a fabulous and organized designer spot !
8. ( ok, just one more... come on think hard ... ) Make sure I have not missed teaching one critical thing my boys need to know to be respectable, godly, successful and caring individuals.

8 things or shows I've watched lately:
1. Divine Design
2. Dancing with the Stars
3. Good Morning America
4. more HGTV
5. Marley and Me
6. ABC News
7. Law and Order
8. Barefoot Contessa

Whew ... did I finish all that ? That was my CHALLENGE for today ! I'll think hard and tag a few people in the next couple of days !

OK ... done ! Hope to have a post for you tomorrow. { hugs !}

A Laid Back Kind of Celebration

Good morning, fellow crafters ! This card has been in the works all week. But yesterday I was finally able to sit and finish up with minimal interruption. This digi image was a freebie offered byTim Hunter of Hambo Stamps a couple weeks ago. Isn't this one cool cat ?! I had so many ideas for her but this is what won out. I colored her with Copics and added Stickles to her flip flop flowers and her umbrella and sticky gems to her glasses ! I also used some Shimmerz on her glasses and the ice cubes but it doesn't show in the photo. The blue layer has been run through the CB swirl folder. The sentiment was cut with a Nesties label die and then I ran some sparkly green fibers through and tied for some more shimmery summery sparkle ! That 's about it ! And oh, the papers are all by SU ! What do you think? Hope your day is filled with things to make you smile . Sending { hugs } your way ...

Monday, May 18, 2009

Floral Record Keeper for Artful Sentiments Copic Challenge 8

Hello dear friends ! How are you this Monday ? Hope you had a good weekend . My good friend Laurie is part of the new Artful Sentiments design team which is on Copic Challenge 8 this week . This week 's colors are G02, RV21, BV01 . I promised I would play along . Well, this morning I discovered that NinaB had offered a free digi download , one that she drew for her adorable daughters. Love the flowers and sentiment and decided to use this digi in this challenge. Every year at the end of summer , I look at my gardens and make mental notes to do this or that differently next year. Only when next year arrives , I can't remember what it was I was going to do differently ! Does that ever happen to you ? So aiming to become a little wiser as I get older (!) , I purchased this simple thin notebook from Staples that will fit right into the library shelf with the other gardening books . I printed off the digi and colored with the above Copics as well as a little black and tan on the butterfly. I added just a tad of Shimmerz and Stickles to the butterfly . The notebook was covered in lightweight white scrapbooking paper , then layered with Lovely Lilac . The dp is from the 6 x 6 Zinnia pack found at Archivers. Everything was layered up and then black metal dots were added to the corners . I wanted to keep the embellishments minimal and the front flat so it would stay nice after being shelved. On the inside cover, I printed a page with the local garden centers information as well as a couple online web addresses that I reference. The rest of the book will be used to jot notes each planting season so I can improve or correct each Spring/ Fall. An easy project and am so glad I was able to play the Artful Sentiments challenge too.If you like coloring with Copics, head on over to the AS blog and check out the challenge. What do you think? Have a terrific day , everyone ! hugs to all !

Saturday, May 16, 2009

Encouragement for Your Day

Happy Weekend , All ! Decided to take a few minutes to load a post . This Scripture verse is such an encouragement to me and I hope to you too. I'll post the recipe below. About all that may need explaining is the leaves which were stamped directly on the yellow panel. The flowers were cut out and on the butterfly I outlined with a black marker and added speckles. The flowers and butterfly were mounted with pop dots. Today I am continuing with my TOSS FEST ! With the kitchen remodeling soon to be complete , I figured getting rid of non-essentials as well as DH 's too, would be a very good thing ! Have a fabulous weekend and thanks so much for coming by !
Stamps: Verve, ODB
Paper: Basic Grey, Whisper White , black
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
Accessories: Martha Stewart punch, gemstones ( The Paper Co.) , pop dots , square Nesties

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Seeking a Good Organizer Tip !

Hi Everyone! Well, now that I am happily back to stamping big time after several years of being busy with kids and all ... I would love to know what happened to everyone's WOOD stamps ?? I still have a ton in Elfa carts and would love to change this system. I am noticing that many of you have removed the rubber from your wood and are using and storing like clear acrylic stamps . If you are doing this , what sort of method AND product or products are you using to store your stamps more efficiently that you are happy with and would recommend? Would love to hear from you ! Send me off an email telling me what works for you .

Fllcmay Challenge

Hi Friends ! Today I am posting my meager attempt at the Flourishes " his and hers" card challenge using a similar layout but the same stamp. Using the stamp stamp is not mandatory . These are not Flourishes stamps, yet when I was thinking what to use, I noticed this lighthouse from ODB and thought it would indeed be a challenge to make a " hers" card using this stamp so decided to go at it to see what I could do . The Scripture verses are included in this wonderful set. Both have papers from Basic Grey and SU. The left card was stamped with Not Quite Navy and distressed with Antique Linen . The right card was stamped with Memento Rich Cocoa. Ribbons are from Hobby Lobby . The " compass" button on the right is from LaMode . Both lighthouses were covered with Crackle Accents by Inkessentials . What do you think ? I think I may add a couple more beachy embellishments to the " hers" card . Make it a good day . Warm hugs to you !

Monday, May 11, 2009

Japanese Birthday

Hi Everyone 1 Hope you ladies out there had a sweet Mother's Day . Mine was mighty nice catching up with family from OK and Chicago at graduation in IN . Short but wonderful . My card for you today came together when I saw this paper in the Basic Grey's Offbeat pack . It looked so Asian and pretty ... I had to pull out my Art Impressions geisha and put together something simple , letting that dp show. The image was stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black and colored with Copics ( I forgot to write down the colors ... duh ) Quickie Glue was added to the hair ornaments ( kanzashi's ) and some glitter then added . I cut the image and frame out with a Labels One nestie. I then added two aqua ribbon tabs to the right side of the image. Click on the picture to see . The sentiment is from the Sweet Violets set ... added gemstones and that's all it took ! What do you think ? Can't wait to see YOUR creations . Have a good Monday and thanks so much for stopping by . Hugs to you all !

Friday, May 8, 2009

... Lord's Great Love...

Happy Friday , Friends ! My card for you today uses one of the new verses from the new Scripture Collection at Our Daily Bread. I love them all so it was hard to choose just one for this card. The paper is from Basic Grey's Wisteria pack and the card base and image base is Very Vanilla . The verse is stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black , cut out and embossed with a square Nestie. Ribbon ( JoAnn's) , purple gems , pearls and primas finish the look . What do you think ? We'll be gone for a couple days to a graduation but then back with DH's Aunt . And I am going to do my best today to clear the remodeling dust and clutter so as to have a reasonably clean and welcoming home for her visit. Hope you are gearing up for a wonderful weekend and Mother's Day ! I pray all of you know how much you matter to the people around you . The Lord bless you ! { hugs!}

Thursday, May 7, 2009

Relax...

Hello, sweet friends : I've had this little "soaker" in my stash for quite a while but never inked it up . Was just waiting for that perfect paper or idea. I found this soft sky blue dp at Archivers the other day and knew it would be perfect for my idea using this stamp. I'll leave the recipe below but just for the little extras... I used Stickles "Stardust" on the bubbles which gives a nice blu-ish water sparkle, cut out the trim with a MS punch and the image panels with Labels Two Nesties. The sentiment is computer generated : " Relax... ( the inside says) ... the Lord is in the details ." I would add a picture of the inside of the card but I am still struggling to get the picture at the right size and posted in the right place. Where are my computer savvy boys when I need them ? smile I added sticky gems to the sentiment to resemble bubbles . Let's see ... I think that about does it. Again , wanting a "relaxing" card , I had to resist adding more embellies thus a simple card. Hope you have a wonderful day , everyone. Again , thanks for stopping by . I'm thrilled that you would. { hugs }
Paper: Amanda Blu dp, SU, Archivers
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Copics
Stamp: Stampabilities
Accessories: Stickles, pop dots, Labels Two Nesties, MS punch, sticky gemstones ( clear )


Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Dottie made ME smile this morning !

I opened my blog earlier this morning to find this cute award from Dottie and it made ME smile ! Thanks SO much, friend ! You always encourage me ! Hope all of you have something in your day that makes you SMILE . { hugs !}

Wedding Silhouette

Good morning, fellow Stampers ! My card for you today is a little off center photo wise for a reason. I wanted you to be able to see the sparkle in the image. The cs is SU Real Red, black and the shimmery, swirly dp is unknown. The image is from Inkadinkado and was stamped in Color Box Black and embossed with detail black ep. I then took a glue pen and drew swirls on the wedding dress and added Dazzling Diamonds to the dress and the hair accessory. Can you see the sparkle ? I also colored in the bouquet in Real Red and added Stickle dots to the tiny flowers to make each pop. The flash from the camera picked up big time one of the stickles dots ! The image and frame were cut and embossed with oval Nesties and mounted with pop dots. The black satin ribbon is from Michaels and the red velvet from Hobby Lobby. Decided to leave out the sentiment on the card front and just add to the inside of the card. What do you think ? Have a blessed day, everyone ! And thanks so much for visiting .

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Timeless Tuesday Get Well

'Morning ! It's Timeless Tuesday at Flourishes and the rule is to use beads or pearls and I think maybe my gemstones don't count ... I don't know . But here's my card. What do you think of that purple? It's from the bright summer DCWV matstack and thought it looked perfect for these violets. The violets were stamped with Memento Black and colored with Copics ( # BV11, V09, Y19, YG17, YG23, 0 ) then cut out and embossed with a scalloped square Nestie. I thought about paper piecing but decided it was nice just the way it was. The lace is from Hobby Lobby and the base card is also from HL . The sentiment is from the same set Sweet Violets from Flourishes. The gemstones are from Hero Arts. There, it's done! Pretty simple, don't you think ? I really like the result. " This is the day that the Lord has made , may "you" rejoice and be glad in it " . (Ps.118:24) { hugs!}

Monday, May 4, 2009

Exalting Christ Blog Award !... from Grace !


I was thrilled to be given this from Grace ! Bless your heart , dear friend ! This award comes from the WTW site , and if you have not checked out their devotionals, you're missing some good nutrition and encouragement for your soul . So I encourage you to scoot over to the site and check it out.
The Exalting Christ blog award is given to bloggers who consistently exalt the name of Christ on their blogs. What a joy to see crafters blend their passion for Christ and papercrafting. This award is given to bloggers who share Christ through their posts or through the design of their artwork. We are commanded in Scripture to be "salt and light" sharing the Good News of Jesus no matter where we are (Matthew 5:13-16). This award is just a way members of Women to Women: Sharing Jesus can say thanks for exalting Christ with us!
Rules:1. Post the blog award in a regular post on your blog with the explanation, including the original link to WTW and the rules for passing the award along2. Name five people (more or less is fine!) to whom you want to offer this award and link to their blogs. The blogs need to obviously exalt Christ in some manner.3. Contact the bloggers you have named to let them know they can pick up their blog award from you.4. Invite them to permanently display the WTW blog badge and/or the award on their blogs. The badge can be obtained on the WTW site, link in my side bar.
I have chosen these women :

Happy Mother's Day !

Good morning, Friends ! Hope you had a good weekend . Decided today I had better post my Mother's Day card so I can whisk it off in the mail . This card is for my dear MIL in CA who right now is taking care of FIL after hip surgery. I sure wish I could give her more than a card for Mother's Day ... such as some personal help and TLC . The stamp is by Inkadinkado and was stamped in Memento Tuxedo Black and colored with Copics. I took a pic of the Copics but the picture when to all the wrong places when I tried to post it here so I'll just give you the #'s below. The card base is Ruby Red, the white panel was run through a CB folder and the brown layer is from Basic Grey's Granola pack. I brushed some Shimmerz on the wings of the bird . It doesn't show up in the photo but gives a really nice shimmer IRL. I'm pleased with the overall result. Hope your week is off to a super -rific start ! { hugs , hugs !}
Copic #s : E27,E55,YR21,YR61,R02,R05,R35,R27,W5,YG17,YG23,YG45, O

Friday, May 1, 2009

Double Challenge Thank You

Hi All ! A late post for you today . It's been a b-zzzzy day ! I decided to combine the Stamp Simply challenge which is to use YELLOW with the Friday Flourishes challenge which is watercoloring . I almost got ahead of myself by starting to use Copics to color the rose . Grabbed my watercolor pencils and colored over . It's not fully watercolored ... well, I guess that's cheating a little. Oh, gee ! This is a really simple card as I think you can see . I'll post the goods below. Hope you have a fab weekend ! Hugs, friends !
Paper: Neenah, Bo Bunny, SU , BG Lime Rickey pack
Ink: Memento Tux Black, Copics, watercolor pencils
Stamps: Flourishes I Love Roses, Violets ( sentiment)
Accessories: Pale yellow ribbon, dew drops, pop dots, MS border punch